Tell Me You Love Me

Meatpacking District pop-up, NYC, September 29th, 2017. It’s all about who you know - I’m happy to say I’m well connected and my fangirl status gets me invited to things. Drinking champagne at Demi Lovato’s Tell Me You Love Me album release party, moments like these are the ones I’ve worked so hard for. Funny to think in 2008 right after Camp Rock, Demi was with the Jonas Brothers (who I was of course waiting for) and she was kind enough to ask if anyone wanted a picture with her, but she was not nearly high enough on my radar yet and I had beautiful boy priorities that she wasn’t going to distract me from. After seeing her open for the Jonas Brothers later that summer, I quickly learned blowing off the future superstar was undoubtedly a mistake. I have a fateful way of having opportunities with Disney stars right before they get big and not taking them only to regret it later.

At a Cheetah Girls concert, Radio Disney invited me to Miley Cyrus’ first ever Hannah Montana album signing at Virgin Megastore (R.I.P.), but I was 14 and would’ve had to miss school which my mom was not down with. She felt I didn’t even know who she was, which in truth I only knew what a Miley Cyrus was for 5 months since the premiere of Hannah Montana, but I knew she was about to be my next big obsession. Having missed that opportunity, it took me 7 years to finally meet Miley at her Bangerz album signing at Planet Hollywood in 2013. I met the Jonas Brothers for the first time after they opened for Jesse McCartney’s Right Where You Want Me Tour and I was invited to their self-titled Jonas Brothers album release party. Once again, mom felt why do I need to meet them again, I just met them and I don’t know who they are. This event was missed solely because I had no one to go with, and if my mom knew just how much she’d hear about these boys till this day, I’m sure she would’ve taken off of work to take me to that party that everyone got pictures with them at. Because of this, it took me 5 years, 1 month and 15 days to get a picture with all three boys (3 years to get a picture with just Joe after many sleepless nights camping out on the streets of NYC). At the same time I rejected Demi for a picture back in 2008, I even more regrettably did the same thing to Taylor Swift who was dating Joe Jonas at the time, and I liked her but Nick Jonas was walking in front of her so there went that (see blog post titled “New York’s Finest” for more). I ended up waiting 9 years to meet the biggest star on the planet who doesn’t do any formal meet & greets by accident at her Reputation pop-up in NYC. To say I cried because of the utter shock would be an understatement, but that’s a story for another time. The moral of the story is, Moms: don’t doubt the importance of a meet & greet that may seem insignificant at the time, and fangirls: meet the up & coming celebrities your favs are hanging out with because they can be bigger than them the next day (hello, Taylor Allison Swift).

So back to Demi, right? The champagne is flowing, the photo booth is flashing, the album is blaring through the speakers and in she walks. This was an industry insider event, so thankfully there weren’t too many fans which made the room have a different vibe than your usual pandemonium. Demi was happy to take selfies with any one beside her as she walked to the platform waiting for her to address the room – but I wasn’t lucky enough to get one which made her exit a do or die. In turn, this in fact caused her exit to be crazier and quicker. I was defeated that I was the only I knew that didn’t get a selfie, blurry or not, I would’ve taken it. Now it was a mission, I needed that picture I never got with her all those years before.

Alas, she announced an album signing for the next day and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I had tickets to Candi Pop where a DJ plays pop hits from the 90’s to now including Demi, so what could be more Candi Pop than meeting a pop princess herself? At that point I didn’t care what time I made it to Candi Pop or if I ever did, I had my eyes on the prize no matter how excited I had been. I ran straight from work which wasn’t far, but by the time I got there, it seemed like everyone in line had their CD’s. I asked security who wasn’t sure and directed me to the FYE workers by the entrance of the pop-up. They went inside to see what they could do, and they emerged with a single CD saying I would be the last person in line. After the near heart attack they gave me, that proved not to be true as the line ended up continuing about a block after me. The more the merrier, as long as I could get in I was happy.

I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve heard mixed reviews of Demi meet & greets between her mood and her often being on vocal rest, but I was hopeful because she seemed so genuinely happy the night before at her album release party. She was sitting in a chair behind a table and you were directed to go around to her right side, which is not my good side but ok Demi, you win. She was so chill and you could really tell she had a new outlook on her career and fans, which is something she had talked about in her Simply Complicated documentary. She truly seemed to be in a good place which is all we ever want to see for her. The gratitude was out pouring, and what seemed like an odd setup resulted in a super cute picture that I impatiently waited two days for because now everything is so instant, and I will always have PTSD from when I waited three days for my Jonas Brothers picture that had to be retaken in Florida (see blog post titled “Say You’ll Remember Me, Standing in a Nice Dress, Staring At the Sunset” for more on that).